Slicing-machine



C. F. M. VAN BERKEL.

SLICING MACHINE.

\APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1917.

Patented Mar. 30,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Zt/ziygss/ 724 2/?21202"! g 4 001715725 2711. van Ber/4e! e f/3. {aw W C. F. M VAN BERKEL.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLICATIUN man SEPT. 13, 19]].

Patented Mar. 30, i920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

C F. M. VAN BERKEL.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLKCATION FILED SEPT. 13, 19x7.

1,335,036, Patented Mar. 30,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- C. F. M. VAN BERKEL.

SLICING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1917.

x66 m/4M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OORNELIS IE. M. VAN BERKEL, OF LAIPORTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO U. S. SLICING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LAPORTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SLICIN G-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented BIaI. 30, 1920.

Application filed September 13, 1917. Serial No. 191,095.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Columns F. M. VAN BERKEL, a-subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, and a resident of Laporte, in the countyof Laporte and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Slicing-l\lachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the provision of mechanism of the character named which shall be of imppoved construction and more efficient, convenient and economical in operation than similar devices previously known.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and described in' the following specification and it is more particularly pointed out 1n the appended claims.

lln the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a slicing machine embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the machine in a different position,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on line 5--5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the machine showing details of construction,

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 of Fig. 7.

It base 10 is provided with pedestals 11 and 12 having bearings 13 and 14 respectively at their upper ends, in which bearings the main frame 15 of a slicing machine is pivotally mounted. The frame 15, when the machine is in operation, is held in an upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by a pin 16 which may be moved into and out of an opening in a projection 17 connected with the frame of the machine. In Fig. 4: the machine is shown swung about its pivotal support through an angle of ninety degrees from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so as to bring the main frame 15 into a horizontal instead of an upright position. A pair of slides or ways 18 are can ried by the frame 15 and a table 19 is mounted for reciprocatory movement along these ways. The table 19 is operated by a hand wheel 20 which drives a crank arm 21 connected with a pitman rod 22 pivoted to the table at 23, the whole being arranged to reciprocate the table back and forth upon its supporting ways 18 in a manner well known in the art. A meat plate 24: is mounted to slide upon the reciprocating table 19 and is moved across the table by a terial is being placed upon the meat plate, the machine may be swung into the position shown in Fig. 4: so that the material may be more conveniently secured in place. After this has been done, the machine is tilted into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the slicing operation is performed while the machine is in this position since this arrangement is better adapted for the convenientdisposition of the slices in an orderly pile or stack.- For receiving the slices, as they are severed from the main body 30 of the material by the usual form of slicing knife shown at'31, a slice collector 32 is provided. This collector is mounted on a bracket 33 which is connected with the main frame 15 of the machine and supports a plate 34 which carries a pivotal support 35 for the slice collector. The slice collector 32 comprises a supporting plate 36 which is mounted to reciprocate on the bearing 35 and which is provided with a dove-tailed guide 37 which has a carriage 38 arranged to slide thereon. An arcuate slice plate 39 is secured to the upper end of the carriage 38 and is provided with a series of short spikes 40 on its convex surface. The slice collector 32 is oscillated about its pivotal support by a. flexible band 11 secured to the table 19 at 42 and secured to the collectorv 32 at 43. The band 41, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is arranged to bear against the arcuate edge of the plate 36 so that movement of the table 19 to the left, as viewed and for adjusting the plate relative to the material being sliced, a flexible cord or cable 45 is secured at. 46 to the carriage 38 from which position it passes around a pulley 47 mounted'on a bracket 48 secured to the plate 36. From the pulley 47 the cord passes between a pair of pins 49 which are positioned on opposite sides of the axis of the pivotal support 35. The pins 49, as shown in Fig. 5, may be carried on a cap 50 threaded into an opening in the plate 36, above the pivotal support 35 for the plate. The cord 45 also passes around a series of guide pulleys 51, 52 and53 mounted on the supporting plate 34 and the end of the cord is secured at 54 to a sleeve 55 mounted to slide on a guide bar 56 rigidly connected with the main frame 15. A rod 57 is connected with the sleeve 55 and extends beneath the reciproeating table 19, as shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. The rod 57 is arranged to slide within an opening in a block 58 which in turn is slidably mounted in dove-tail ways 59 carried on the under surface, of the reciprocating table 19. A half-nut 60 is slidably mounted in an opening 61 in the block 58 and is resiliently pressed into contact with the threads on the feed screw 25 by means of a coil spring 62. A rod 63 is connected with the half-nut 60 and is provided with a handle 64 arranged in a convenient position to be grasped by the operator in order to withdraw the half-nut 60 from engagement with the feed screw 25, when it is desired. A ball-catch 65 may be provided to hold the half-nut 60 in either its operative or inoperative position.

When it is desired to slice a piece of meat or other material, the machine may be tilted into the position shown in Fig.- 4 while the material is clamped upon the meat plate 24. lVhen the. material has been secured in place, the machine is tilted into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and locked in this position by the pin 16. Before the first slice is cut, the collector plate 39 is raised until the prongs 40 engage the front surface of the piece of meat. In order to permit the shifting of the plate 39 into this position, the half-nut 60 is first moved out of engagement with the feed-screw 25 by pulling outwardly on the handle 64. When the collector plate 39 is in position, the handle 64 is again pushed inwardly and the plate will then be held in its adjusted position by the cord 45 which connects the carriage 38 with the sleeve 55. The weight of the collector plate 39 tends to move the plate away from the material 30 producing a tension upon the cord 45 which is transmitted to the sleeve 55 and from there to the rod 57, the block 58, the half-nut 60 and finally to the feed-screw 25. As the hand wheel 20 is rotated, the table 19 is reciprocated to move the material 30 across the edge of the knife 31 to cut the slices. During this movement, the block 58 slides upon the rod 57 so that the sleeve 55 is prevented from moving downwardly regardless of the position of a the table 19 upon the guideways 18. As the slice is cut from the material, it Will be received by the collector plate 39, the first one or two slices being penetrated by the points of the prongs. The collector plate must, of course, be set far enough away from the surface of the material being cut to prevent the prongs 40 from striking the knife 31. Because of the position of the collector plate relative to the slice, as itis being cut, the slice is spread naturally upon the upper surface .of the plate and there is no tendency \VlltltGX'Gl forthe slice to be bent or crumpled; As the meat plate 24 is fed downwardly by the ratchet 27, after each reciprocation of the table to position the material 30 for a new slice, the rod 57 will be moved by the feed-screw 25 a distance exactly equal to the amount of movement of the meat plate and consequently the collector plate 39, which is connected by the cord 45 to the rod 47, will be fed downwardly a corresponding distance, thus lowering the slices on the collector plate an amount equal to the thickness of one slice and so providing space for the next slice to be cut. Each slice as it is cut is received directly upon the upper surface of the preceding slice so that there is no chance for distortion or disarrangement of the slices. \Vhen the required number of slices have been cut, the stack may be lifted from the collector plate and disposed of without further attention by the operator. Because of 'the fact that the slices are supported broadside-down on the upper surface of the collector plate, it is not necessary to provide tines of sufiicient length to penetrate all of the slices, the only purpose of the tines be ing to hold the first one or two slices in position on the plate, and in fact even the short tines shown in the drawing, for many materials, may be dispensed with and the first slice received directly upon the surface of the collector plate.

I claim:

1. In combination, a slicing knife, and a frame for supporting said knife arranged to be shifted to hold said knife with its cutting plane in either an upright or a horizontal position.

2. In combination, a slicing knife, and means fo shifting the cutting plane of said knife from an upright to a horizontal position.

3. In combination, a slicing knife, a frame on which said knife is mounted, means for holding material on said frame to be sliced by said knife, and means for supporting said frame in one position while the material is being secured thereto and in a different position while material is being sliced by said knife.

4:. In combination, a slicing knife, a platform arranged atv an angle to said knife' for supporting material to be sliced by said knife, and means for supporting said plat form in a horizontal position while the material is being secured thereto and in an upright position while the material is being sliced by said knife.

5. In combination, a slicing machine frame having a platform thereon for supporting material to be sliced, a knife for severing slices from said material, said knife and platform being arranged at an angle to one another, and means for supporting said frame with said platform in positioned beneath the slice an a horizontal position while the material is being secured thereto and in an upright position while slices are being severed from said material.

6. In combination, means for severing a slice from a piece of material by cutting in a horizontal direction through said material, and means for receiving a slice thus formed in the position in which it is cut from said material, said receiving means being arranged to partially support said slice while it is being cut.

7. In combination, means for severing a slice from a piece of material so that the slice as it is formed will be extended in a horizontal direction, and means for receiving said slice while it is still so extended.

8. In combination, means for severing a slice of material by a horizontally directed cut so that the slice will be formed with its flat side down, and a receivin' platform arranged to receive the slice on the upper surface thereof while the slice is being formed.

9. In combination, means for supporting material to be sliced, means for cutting slices from the lower portion of said material, and a platform arranged beneath said material to receive the slices and partiall support the same while they are being cut.

10. In combination, means for supporting material to be sliced, a knife havlng its cutting plane extending horizontally and arranged to sever slices of material from the lower surface thereof, and a platform positioned beneath said material and arranged to receive the slices and partially support the same while they are being formed.

11. In combination, a'slicing knifehaving its cutting plane arranged horizontally, means for presentin material to said knife so that slices will cut from the lower surface of said material, a collector plate positioned beneath said material to receive said slices flat-side down upon its upper surface as they are formed, and means for moving said plate in unison with said material relative to said knife as the material is presented to the knife.

12. In combination, a slicing knife hav ing a horizontally arranged cutting plane, a support for material to be sliced arranged to reciprocate relative to said knife to present material to said knife to be sliced, an arc-shaped slice collector positioned beneath the surface of said material from which slices are cut and arranged to receive the slices upon its upper surface, and means for moving said collector relative to said knife in unison with said material during a slicing operation. 1

13. In combination, means for slicing ma terial so that the slices when formed will extend horizontally, a platform for'receiving said slices one uponthe other, and means for moving said platform downwardly as the pile of slices upon it increases in thickness.

14. In combination, a slicing knife having its cutting plane extending horizontally, a holder for presenting material to said knife to be sliced, means for feeding said holder downwardly across the plane of said knife,

a platform for receiving the slices arranged beneath the material to be out, and means for feeding said platform downwardly in unison with the feeding movement of said holder.

15. In combination, a slicing knife having its cutting =plane arranged horizontally, a holder for material to be sliced, means for reci Jrocating said holder relative to said kni e to sever slices from said material, a receiving platform positioned beneath said material, and means for moving said platform in unisonwith said holder during a slicing operation to cause said platform to receive the slices upon its upper surface as they are formed by said knife and while they remain in substantially the same position in which they are cut from the material.

16. In combination, a slicing knife having its cutting plane arranged horizontally, a holder for material to be sliced positioned above the cutting plane of said knife, means for reciprocating said holder relative to said knife to sever slices from the bottom surface of said material, means for feeding said holder downwardly to move the material across the cutting plane of said knife,

I a horizontally arranged cutting plane, a

holder for material to be sliced, means for reciprocating said holder relative to said knife to sever slices from the material, .an arcuate platform arranged beneath the cutting plane of said knife and pivoted to swing about a horizontal axis, means for swinging said platform about its axis in unison with the reciprocation of said holder so that slices severed from the material held by said holder will be spread upon the upper surface of said platform, and means for feeding said platform downwardly to permit the stacking of successive slices one upon another on the surface of said platform.

18. In a slicing machine, a slice collector comprising an arc-shaped platform arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, a flexible cable for adjusting said platform relative to said axis, and means for guiding said cable through said axis.

19. Incombination, a slicing machine, an arc-shaped platform for receiving slices formed by said machine, a frame for supporting said platform arranged to swing about a pivotal axis, said platform being adjustable on said frame toward and from said axis, a flexible member for controlling the position of said platform relative to said axis, and a guide for'said member arranged to direct said member through said axis.

20. In combination, a slicing knife, having its cutting plane arranged horizontally,

a reciprocating holder for presenting material to said knife to cause slices to be severed from said material, a curved platform arranged beneath said material and movable in unison therewith'about a horizontal axis during a slicing operation so that a slice as it is formed will be spread'upon the upper surface of said latform, a frame for adjustably supportlng said platform relative to said axis, a flexible member for controlling the position of said platform upon said frame, means for guiding said member to cause it to pass through said axis so that the length of said member will not be changed by the oscillation of siid platform about said axis, means for feeding said holder transversely to the plane of said slicing knife, and a connection between said holder and said flexible member to cause said platform to move relatively to its pivotal axis in unison with the feeding movement of said holder.

21. In combination, a slicing knife having a horizontally arranged cutting plane, a re ciprocating holder for presenting material to said knife to cause slices to be severed therefrom, means for feeding said holder transversely to the plane of said knife, a platform positioned beneath the plane of said knife for receiving slices as they are formed, means for oscillating said platform about a pivotal axis in unison with the reciprocation of said holder, a connection between said platform and said holder to cause said platform to be moved relative to the cutting lane of said knife in unison-with the feeding movement of said holder, and means for adjusting said connection to permit said platform and holder to be shifted relative to one another.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, on this 10th day of September, A. D. 1917.

CORNELIS F. M. VAN BERKEL. 

